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The U.S. and Turkey have resumed normal visa processing services.
After a diplomatic conflict
between the two countries resulted in each suspending visa services at
embassies, relations have normalized. However, they have not been
entirely smoothed out.
A statement released today from the U.S. Embassy in Turkey announced the return to regular operations.
“Since
October, the Government of Turkey has adhered to the high-level
assurances it provided to the United States that there are no additional
local employees of our Mission in Turkey under investigation, that
local staff of our Embassy and consulates will not be detained or
arrested for performing their official duties–including communicating
with Turkish officials also working in an official capacity–and that
Turkish authorities will inform the U.S. government in advance if the
Government of Turkey intends to detain or arrest any member of our local
staff in the future.”
The statement continued:
"The
Department of State is confident that the security posture has improved
sufficiently to allow the full resumption of visa services in Turkey,"
the U.S. Embassy said.
Turkey was pleased by the announcement but
hit back regarding the statement issued by the U.S., saying that it had
provided no such assurances in relations to ongoing legal issues.
"We do not approve of the United States providing the Turkish and American public wrongful information," the embassy said.
The U.S. remains concerned
about the existing allegations against workers for the U.S. Mission in
Turkey as well as allegations against U.S. citizens in the country,
which sparked the crisis in October.
The U.S. continues to engage with Turkish officials in order to resolve these issues.
Turkey isn't the only place in which the U.S. has slashed visa services as a result of poor diplomatic relations.
The
U.S. has had similar troubles in Russia and recently announced it would
reduce operations in the country. U.S. Embassy staff and services have
also been greatly reduced in Cuba following a number of reports of unexplained sonic attacks.
Source
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